Phlox plant named ‘Amethyst Pearl’

ABSTRACT

A new and unique cultivar of garden  phlox  named  Phlox  ‘Amethyst Pearl’ multi-stemmed compact habit, slowly spread plant with bright, glossy-green, lanceolate leaves. Flowers are sweetly fragrant, light lavender-pink with white eye beginning very early in early June, continuing for about four weeks and repeating in early-fall. Foliage stays clean and resists mildew.

Botanical classification: Phlox hybrid.

Variety denomination: ‘Amethyst Pearl’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Phlox plant, known as Phlox ‘Amethyst Pearl’ and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Amethyst Pearl’, or the “new plant”. The new plant was discovered in a production field of a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. on Oct. 11, 2011 as an non-induced branch sport on Phlox ‘Minnie Pearl’ and assigned the temporary accession number of 11-SP-PHL-101. ‘Minnie Pearl’ was originally found along a roadside in Kemper, Miss. in a natural population presumed to be a natural hybrid between Phlox maculata and Phlox glaberrima. The new plant has been asexually propagated by stem cuttings in the greenhouses at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The unique characteristics of the new plant have been found to be reproducible and stable in successive generations of asexually propagated and the resultant plants have been found to be identical to the original selection.

No plants of Phlox ‘Amethyst Pearl’ have been sold, in this country or anywhere in the world, prior to the filing of this application, nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made prior to the filing of this application with the exception of that which may have been disclosed within one year of the filing date of this application and was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Phlox ‘Amethyst Pearl’ is unique from all other tall garden phlox or other phlox known to the inventor. The new plant differs from ‘Minnie Pearl’ by having light lavender pink flowers with a white eye compared to the solid white flower of ‘Minnie Pearl’. Compared to other known Phlox paniculata hybrids ‘Amethyst Pearl’ has foliage of stiffer and thicker-substance and the flowers about a month earlier. ‘Amethyst Pearl’ differs from and all other phlox known to the inventor in the following repeatedly observed traits in combination:

-   -   1. Plants of compact habit, slowly spreading by short rhizomes,         producing clean, glossy, bright-green, lanceolate leaves.     -   2. Foliage thicker substance than Phlox paniculata types.     -   3. Multiple stems produce rounded heads of flower very early in         the season.     -   4. Sweetly fragrant flowers on stems of about 30 to 45 cm tall         producing sweetly-fragrant light lavender-pink flowers with         white eye zones.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the unique traits of ‘Amethyst Pearl’ and the overall appearance of the plant at two-years old. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Variation in ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color.

FIG. 1 shows the new plant in flower in the landscape with late spring to early summer foliage.

FIG. 2 shows the floriferous flower head of the new plant together with mid-summer foliage.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on The 2001 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used. Phlox ‘Amethyst Pearl’ has not been observed under all possible environments. The phenotype may vary slightly with different growing environments such as temperature, light, fertility, soil pH, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in the genotype. The following observations and size descriptions are based on two-year-old plants in the full sun trial garden of a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. with supplemental fertilizer and water as needed.

-   Botanical classification: Phlox hybrid. -   Parentage: Non-induced branch sport mutation of Phlox ‘Minnie     Pearl’. -   Plant habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial, compact, producing about 30     to 40 rigid upright stems; 30 to 45 cm tall at flowering and 26 to     33 cm wide; rounded panicle cluster about 9.0 cm across and 7.0 cm     tall; flowering begins about June 8th in Michigan and continuing for     about 4 weeks and repeating in the early-fall if deadheaded for     another 3 weeks. -   Propagation: Stem cuttings; rooting in about 14 days. -   Time to produce finished crop in 3.8 liter pots: About 8 to 10     weeks; moderate rate of growth. -   Root: Primary roots to about 1.0 mm thick; secondary fibrous and     freely branching; color creamy white to tan depending on soil type. -   Leaves: Simple, opposite, lanceolate, entire; slightly puberulent     adaxial surrounding vein and glabrous abaxial; lustrous adaxial,     matte abaxial; acute apex, rounded base; about 11.0 cm long by about     1.9 cm wide near the center. -   Leaf color at flowering: Adaxial nearest RHS 137A; abaxial surface     nearest RHS 147C. -   Foliage fragrance: None detected. -   Veins: Pinnate; glabrous abaxial, slightly puberulent adaxial;     mid-vein about 1.0 mm wide at base, slightly sunken adaxial and     raised abaxial. -   Vein color: Adaxial midrib between RHS 163B and RHS 162A, nearest     RHS 145C on abaxial surface; secondary veins same color as surround     leaf. -   Petiole: Leaves sessile. -   Stems: Terete; stiff; strong; upright; glabrous to minutely     puberulent; about 26.0 cm long and 3.0 mm diameter at base. -   Stem color: Between RHS 145B and RHS 145C distally becoming more     maculate proximally with lowest 4.0 cm nearest solid RHS 83B. -   Nodes: About 9 per stem; average internode length about 2.9 cm;     shorter proximally and longer distally. -   Node color: Between RHS 145B and RHS 145C. -   Flowers: Perfect; salverform, with fused tube about 2.8 cm long and     face about 2.8 cm across consisting five petals; held in a tight     panicle of about 48 flowers; attitude upright to outward. -   Flower longevity: About 5 days on plant or as cut flower;     self-cleaning. -   Flower fragrance: Pleasantly sweet. -   Buds one to two days prior to opening: Narrowly oblanceolate, to     nearly clavate; acute apex with petals twisted about each other;     about 3.3 cm long and 1.5 mm diameter in tube and 4.0 mm diameter     toward apex. -   Bud color: Nearest RHS 76C distally with tube nearest RHS N77D     distally and nearest RHS 150D. -   Petals: Five, glabrous except for adaxial about 10.0 mm of tube     throat, rounded limbs with rounded to emarginate apex; limbs     diameter about 1.2 cm, overlapping about one-third of the petals to     either side; base fused into a tube about 3.0 mm diameter and 2.6 cm     long; basal one-third of tube inner surface with fine hairs the same     color as petals. -   Petal color:     -   -   Top or adaxial surface of limb.—Central eye of about 5.0 mm             diameter nearest RHS 155D, remainder of petal outside of             center eye of nearest RHS 84B.         -   Back or abaxial surface of limb.—Between RHS 76B and RHS             76C.         -   Inner or adaxial surface of tube.—Between RHS 75C and RHS             75D in dorsal half and gradually lightening to nearest RHS             150D at base.         -   Outer or abaxial surface of tube.—Between RHS 75C and RHS             75D in dorsal half and lightening to lighter than RHS 150D             at base. -   Androecium:     -   -   Filaments.—Usually five, fused to inner petals, of varying             lengths between 1.0 mm and 2.0 mm and less than 0.5 mm in             diameter; lighter than RHS 155D.         -   Anther.—Oblong elliptic; dorsifixed; oblong, about 2.5 mm             long by 0.5 mm wide.         -   Anther color.—Nearest RHS 17B.         -   Pollen.—Nearly microscopic, spherical; color nearest RHS             17B. -   Gynoecium: One pistil per flower.     -   -   Style.—Cylindrical; about 2.8 cm long and 0.5 mm diameter             when flower is mature; lighter than RHS 1D and more             yellow-green than RHS 155C in the center and distal portion             and near white lighter than RHS 155D at base.         -   Stigma.—Split into three branches in the proximal 2 mm, less             than 0.25 mm in diameter; persistent after flower             abscission; nearest RHS 2C.         -   Ovary.—Inferior; elliptic, about 2.0 mm long and1.0 mm             diameter; color nearest RHS 145A. -   Sepals: Five, glabrous; lanceolate; acute apex, fused in basal 7.0     mm; individually about 10.0 mm long and 1.0 mm wide. -   Sepal color: Between RHS 137B and RHS 139B on both adaxial and     abaxial surfaces with heavy tinting of between RHS 187A and RHS     N187A. -   Peduncle: Glaucous to minutely puberulent, stiff, strong, upright,     terete; about 1.5 mm diameter at base and 4.0 cm long; branched at     distal nodes. -   Peduncle color: Blend between RHS 151A and RHS 151B. -   Fruit: Dehiscent capsule with flat base and acute to mucronate apex;     about 7.0 mm long and 5.0 mm diameter; color at maturity nearest RHS     161C. -   Seeds: Up to four; slightly flattened ellipsoid; about 3.5 mm long     and 2.5 mm across and 2.0 mm thick; color nearest RHS 202A. -   Hardiness and culture: The new plant grows best with plenty of     moisture and adequate drainage; hardy to at least from USDA zone 3     through 8. -   Disease and pest resistance: Phlox ‘Amethyst Pearl’ demonstrated the     excellent powdery mildew resistance under conditions that would     normally show symptoms. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of hybrid phlox plant named Phlox ‘Amethyst Pearl’, as herein described and illustrated, especially suitable as a potted plant, for the garden, for attracting hummingbirds and butterflies, and for cut flower arrangements. 